1.1 Overview of AUCTeX

AUCTeX is a comprehensive customizable integrated environment for
writing input files for TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt, Texinfo, and
docTeX using Emacs.

It supports you in the insertion of macros, environments, and sectioning
commands by providing completion alternatives and prompting for
parameters. It automatically indents your text as you type it and lets
you format a whole file at once. The outlining and folding facilities
provide you with a focused and clean view of your text.

AUCTeX lets you process your source files by running TeX and
related tools (such as output filters, post processors for generating
indices and bibliographies, and viewers) from inside Emacs. AUCTeX
lets you browse through the errors TeX reported, while it moves the
cursor directly to the reported error, and displays some documentation
for that particular error. This will even work when the document is
spread over several files.

One component of AUCTeX that LaTeX users will find attractive is
preview-latex, a combination of folding and in-source previewing
that provides true “What You See Is What You Get” experience in your
sourcebuffer, while letting you retain full control.

More detailed information about the features and usage of AUCTeX can
be found in the
remainder of this manual.

AUCTeX is written entirely in Emacs Lisp, and hence you can easily
add new features for your own needs. It is a GNU project and
distributed under the ‘GNU General Public License Version 3’.

If you are considering upgrading AUCTeX, the recent changes are
described in
Changes.

If you want to discuss AUCTeX with other users or its developers,
there are several mailing lists you can use.

Send a mail with the subject “subscribe” to
auctex-request@gnu.org in order to join the general discussion
list for AUCTeX. Articles should be sent to auctex@gnu.org.
In a similar way, you can subscribe to the info-auctex@gnu.org
list for just getting important announcements about AUCTeX. The list
bug-auctex@gnu.org is for bug reports which you should usually
file with the M-x TeX-submit-bug-report <RET> command. If you
want to address the developers of AUCTeX themselves with technical
issues, they can be found on the discussion list
auctex-devel@gnu.org.